Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-07-16
N ERRIM PASSENGERS.
Twenty-Five of Them Arrive at Boston
on Fridav-Captain CrowelI of the Mer.
rimac Makes Statement as to How the
Catastrophe Occurred.

BOSTON, July Is.
The steamer Carroll of the Boston, Hail.
fax and Prince Edward Island line. arrived
at 10. 80 A. NJ. today from Halifax. hsving on
board twenty. nine passengers of the lost
Merrimac. The passengers appeared to be
in good health and looked none the worse for
their mishaps. Such ofthem as were willing
to talk say they saw no organized attempt at
robbery by the crew or any marked degree of
drunkenness, although few pieces of bag
gage were broken open and rifsd and some
of the crew were under the influence of Ii.
quor.
But in general terms they speak highly of
the efforts Of the officers and men to get then
ashore and prevent loss of lite and property.
and also state that the passengers themselves
were orderly and without panic to remark
able extent.
The boat struck at IL. so A. NJ. on SUNDAY
and they made land ut 80 on the same
morning at St. GATHERINGS, 81 miles from
Liverpool. They were conveyed to the lat
ter place in teams sent for them, and left for
Boston in the Carroll on Wednesday after
noon, receiving the kindest treatment in the
meantime from the natives, and being incon-
venienced only in the lack Of sleeping acsom
mOdations
Such of the passengers as were finally
lduueu On Llttke hope lslduu were tdkeu Uu
in the tug A. C. Whitney. which was intend
ed to intercept the Carroll, but the boats did
not meet and they were returned to Liver
pool. whence they were brought to Boston,
either by rail or on the steamer Worcester,
which will reach here on Monday morning
next.
HALIFAX, N. S., July l5.
The tug A. 0. Whitney arrived this fore
noon from Liverpool, n. s., and brought the
remaining passengers and crew of the steam
er Merrimac. Capt. Crowell is at Liver
pool He has made the following state
ment:
"The Merrimsc ran ashore in dense fog
which settled down between half and three
quarters of an hour before she struck. The
fog whistle had been regularly sounded dur
ing that time. The ship was in charge of
Pilot Reynolds, a native of Point La Tour,
who has been plotting steamers on the coast
for the last twenty years. This was his first
accident When the fog set in, the pilot, the
first officer and were in the wheelhouse and
were there when she struck. Quartermsster
Morrison was at the wheel when the fog set
in. The course was changed by the pilots
orders half point off shore as a precaution
During all our trips last year our course in
that vicinity was $. w. by w., which carried
US well off to the southwark and steering
half point south of this was precautionary
measure adopted on account of the fog
When the ship struck and for ten minutes
after, the fog was thick that the light on
the island could not be seen. 1t then lifted
and we saw the light and knew we were on
Little Hope Island. The first indication we
had of being near danger was the vessel strik-
ing the rocks. She kept afoat for half or
two thirds of her length for time and then
settled in the rocks, listing somewhat to port
The ship was making nine knots when she
struck In my opinion we were carried out
of our course further than we were aware of
by the current setting in towards the land "
The wreck is broken up to considerable
extent, and only part of the hull is now WIS.,
ible. When the steamer A. c Whitney ar
rived here with the crew and the rem ainder
of the passengers, the former were taken into
shed and their effects examined to see if
they had any of the stolen articles. Nothing
was found.